If there’s one vegan cheese you need to make, this is it. It’s super simple, very quick to make and delicious. There’s no fermenting or cooking involved so you can spend less time in the kitchen, and more time eating! Here’s a video I made which will show you how to make vegan parmesan in a few simple steps.
This recipe is adapted from Minimalist Baker and Beard and Bonnet, two of my favourite foodie bloggers. It’s super easy to make and it’s super handy to have around, especially if you love savoury sprinkles on everything.
Once you’ve learned how to make vegan parmesan you’ll wonder how you could ever live without it. It’s dairy-free yet it makes everything taste nice and ‘cheesy’. Whether you’re trying to eat less dairy in general, or transitioning to eating more plant-based foods, or perhaps feeling slightly adventurous in the kitchen, this recipe will open up a world of possibilities.
You can sprinkle vegan parmesan on pasta, salads, roast vegetables or anything that needs a hit of ‘umami’. I especially love it on top of mushroom risotto and soup. Yum!
Oh, by the way, you’ll need a food processor to make this (I use Cuisine Companion) or you’ll need to pound the mixture using a mortal and pestle.
Enjoy!
How To Make Vegan Parmesan
How to make vegan Parmesan
1/2 cup raw cashews
¼ cup silvered almonds
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs (I used Cuisine Companion and it took less than 10 sec on Pulse setting with chopping blade).
Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months, or longer in the freezer.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and/or share a picture on Instagram and tag me in the picture.
Keren x
https://www.passionatelykeren.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Vegan-Parmesan-16.jpg13332000Kerenhttp://www.passionatelykeren.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/KN_LOGO_C-W-copy1.pngKeren2016-09-29 07:40:282018-08-04 15:33:14How To Make Vegan Parmesan
A few weeks ago I went to a Lip Balm and Lotion Bar workshop organised by Helen Dao, founder of Be Fraiche. Helen and I met through one of the Sydney Passion Bloggers Meetups. Helen thought I might want to check out one of her workshops and learn how to make my own skin care. I’m a big fan of DYI’s so it was a no-brainer for me. Here’s a little video I made for fun workshop held at a cosy co-working space in Bondi, The Little Space.
Now I’ve been to many workshops over the years but I have to say that it was the most organised workshop I’ve been to. The attention to detail from Helen during this three-hour workshop was incredible. From the meticulous placement of the bright yellow aprons and safety glasses on the table, to the goodie bags she prepared for everyone, everything looked so fine-tuned and stylish.
Everyone turned up early, including me. Some came from as far as Newcastle. There definitely was a buzz about the workshop which none of us wanted to miss.
Helen gave an introduction about herself – how she went from working in corporate to pursuing her passion in skincare. By the by, Helen is a qualified skincare formulator, having trained in the UK for Organic Skincare Formulation and in France for Perfumery. Pretty impressive and worldly credentials, wouldn’t you say?
As to the workshop itself, each of us had our own setup, complete with our own little scales. We got to formulate our own lip balm and body lotion. The workshop felt like my old lab days, when I was a biologist, weighing ingredients to as precise as one-tenth of a gram, controlling the temperature so that it wouldn’t get too hot when heating and mixing up the ingredients, pouring solution into the tiniest containers and praying to God that I wouldn’t spill any of this expensive stuff.
I learned that most lip balms are made using beeswax, so Helen taught us how to replace beeswax using Candelila, which is a plant-based alternative.. It’s a little bit tricky to work with as it’s much harder to dissolve, but when done well it does the job, and it gives the lip balm a nice shiny coat on it, too.
I would say I had an amazing time except that I can’t use that word anymore since the editor (my boyfriend Nat) has declared the word banned due to overuse. Apparently if everything is amazing, nothing is. He may have a point there and maybe I do need to expand my vocabulary a little bit more. So let me think how best to describe the experience.
AMAZING!
Sorry, Nat. It was. And I think you can have lots of amazing experiences if you choose to. Why wouldn’t you?
You can check out the Be Fraiche skin care workshop on their website. They have launched their natural skincare products so be sure to try them the next time you’re shopping for some skincare.
Keren x
https://www.passionatelykeren.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Be-Fraiche-5.jpg13332000Kerenhttp://www.passionatelykeren.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/KN_LOGO_C-W-copy1.pngKeren2016-09-14 13:07:582016-09-14 13:07:59Be Fraiche Skin Care Workshop
The last time I went to Canberra was six years ago for the Tulip Festival. I went with four of my girlfriends. I navigated, we got lost (Google Maps failed me) and it took us five hours to get to Canberra, from Sydney, by way of the Blue Mountains (I know…). Despite the slow start, it ended being a great trip and I have a lot of fond memories from that day (including eating too many scones and cookies at Ginger Catering’s high tea buffet). This year I went back to Canberra, not for the Tulip, but for the Canberra Truffle Festival. I was invited by a girlfriend and went on a whim. I had no expectations: I just was hoping for a similarly pleasant experience as to last time, but instead, I was blown away.
We started our 2-day Truffle Festival adventure with a three-hour truffle hunt at Tarago Truffle, which was an amazing and eye-opening experience that makes me appreciate this nuggets of black gold so much more. You can read more about my truffle hunting experience, and the ethics of eating truffles as a vegan, in my last post.
Tarago Truffle
After the truffle hunt we went to the Canberran CBD to try The Cupping Room – they’re reputed for making good coffee. We got there in less than an hour and to my surprise, there was a queue at the door- the young and hip, lining up and eager to get in the café for some hot brew. I hate lining up for food, but it didn’t look like there were any other cafés nearby, and since everyone was keen on trying this place, I made an exception. About five minutes later one of their waiting staff came out and offered us some free plunger coffee. I felt much better already.
Thirty minutes later we got our table. I ordered my usual soy flat white and chose one of the few vegan dishes they have – Avo & his mates (veganised).
It was a pretty good plate, but would have been miles better with a dash of truffle salt (it was hard not to be obsessed with truffles after the previous night)! But, hey, at least they didn’t skimp on the avocado, that’s for sure. So much avo mash on that toast.
Veganised Avo and His Mates
The dish was served with some radish and cress salad which was quite tasty. It gave the dish a nice crunch and a bit of zing. The waiting staff also gave me a side of cashew cream which was creamy and lovely.
Crunchy hot chips at The Cupping Room
Coffee was really good! Their Cascara tea – made from the cherry of a coffee tree – was interesting. It tastes fruity with the tiniest hint of coffee and smells a bit like berry, sour and sweet both at the same time.
The Truffle Degustation
On the Saturday night we went to a five-course truffle and wine degustation dinner, at the Chifley Hotel, as part of the Canberra Truffle Festival event. The hotel made me a special vegan menu, which is always a nice touch, and I even got my own plate of appetisers while everyone else had to share.
Tomato Carpaccio with lots and lots of truffle shavings – Best dish of the night
Pumpkin Soup
It was a fun-filled night (like most nights involving food and wine are). We were the only group younger than our 40’s there, rocking our jeans and boots while everyone else were either in a dress or in a collared shirt. We looked a little out of place, no doubt, but I don’t think we cared. We were there for the food and the wine. But there was nothing to worry about because everyone was really nice and friendly.
Risotto with, you guessed it – truffle!
We ate a lot of truffle-full dishes and met the winemaker who brought Prosecco into Australia, Otto Dal Zotto from Dal Zotto Wine, and drank heaps of his wine. He even gave us tips on how we can perform better at wine-tasting, including starting as early as seven in the morning!
The food was good but the wine was outstanding. We bought a few bottles each – they have arrived in Sydney by the way, and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on them very soon.
After dinner we went to Molly, also in the CBD (thanks to a tip from a wine distributor who sat at our table). Molly is an underground speakeasy bar which reminds me of Palmer and Co in the Rocks in Sydney. It’s so underground that it doesn’t even have a sign at the door. We (I) had to ask a local Canberrian for directions, and in exchange he asked me for some water as I was carrying my water bottle. It was a pretty random exchange (I gave him the whole bottle) but the directions were on point. We saw a door with a bright light next to a building and inside, a girl sitting on a stool welcoming people in. It would have looked pretty shady had she not been super-nice-friendly-looking. As I walked down the stairs I could hear the crowd and music. This is not the Canberra I once knew. This is so much better.
We stayed overnight at Medina in Belconnen, in a two bedroom serviced apartment. It was very nice for that sort of accommodation: It was clean and airy and with a full-size kitchen. I slept like a baby.
The morning came and we all had to quickly pack up and check out. We started wandering our way back to Sydney that afternoon, but not without a visit to the local vineyards and one last truffle farm on the way.
At the dinner at the Chifley the night before, we heard Jayson Meysman’s story about his inspiring journey leading him to the truffle industry, his $100,000 dog Samson and The Truffle Farm that he now owns at Majura. We decided to drop by to check out his farm and, perhaps, get some more truffles.
Have you heard of truffle-infused vodka? It was our first taste, too.
As is always the case with me and winery visits – I started telling myself ‘I don’t need more wine, I’m just gonna enjoy some free wine’ here and ended up with the ageless ‘I can’t not buy this, it’s so good’ dilemma with my own conscience. Luckily we only visited two wineries so I didn’t completely exhaust my willpower. I ended up buying only a couple of bottles of wine and was feeling pretty proud of myself.
So we did everything we wanted to do: We ate lots of truffles, we drank lots of wine and we spent some quality time with each other. It’s amazing how much you can do in two days.
We ended our trip to Canberra with a toast of Eden Road Cabernet Sauvignon, a bunch of full bellies, sweet, truffle-filled memories, and the hope to return to the capital city again next year.
Until we meet again.
Keren x
https://www.passionatelykeren.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DSC07933.jpg13332000Kerenhttp://www.passionatelykeren.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/KN_LOGO_C-W-copy1.pngKeren2016-09-08 21:55:462016-09-09 13:19:23Canberra Truffle Festival 2016
There’s a new and exciting project that has recently launched! It’s called Everyday Vegan.TV. It’s aims at helping you thrive on a plant-based lifestyle in an easy and fun want. I had the fortunate opportunity to go behind the scene of their first photoshoot day to see what it’s all about. Here’s a sneak peak of what happened that day.
Are you excited? I am! I’m super stoked to be contributing to this awesome project! Anything that inspires people to embrace the plantbased lifestyle hold a special place in my heart.
The people behind Everyday Vegan
All the food and recipes are still under wrap at this stage but here’s I can introduce you to some of the beautiful souls behind this initiative.
Here’s Dan, the co-founder and grower. He’s the guy that will teach you how to grow your own food. And guess what, you don’t even need a backyard for it. You should see some of the balcony gardens that Dan helped create. So cool!
Here’s Maz, founder and vegan chef – she dislike being called a chef because she doesn’t have a chef background, but according to the Oxford Dictionary, the word chef is defined as a professional cook, one that cooks in a restaurant or hotel so technically Maz IS a chef! And oh, she also owns Sadhana Kitchen. A very popular and successful vegan restaurant in Sydney. How’s that for qualification?!
Here’s Fiona, a vegan nutritionist who will tell you how you get your protein (among other things) on a plantbased diet. She’s amazing in her knowledge of everything nutrition. And guess what, she also used to be a DJ. How’s that for some street points.
And the last but not least, Stan – the muscle man. He’s a vegan personal trainer and a pull-up expert who will show you how to be buffed, the plant-based way. I realised that Stan is pretty popular around Bondi Beach (where he works out most of the times). Everyone seems to know him!
So now you know the cool kids behind EverydayVegan.TV. Their first program – 7 Day Raw Reset is starting next week (5th September). You can join for free and get a full 7 day cleansing meal plan. I’m excited to give it a go. I’ve never been raw for more than a day so it will be quite interesting.
Check out EverydayVegan.TV for more info, tips and the recipe for the gorgeous green smoothies pictured above. Let’s do it together!
